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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Page 142

How to Make a Wreath {Garden Gnome Edition}

by Lindsay Ballard on June 11, 2012 2,790 Comments

Now that summer is upon us and my landscaping is in full bloom, I thought it was time to swap out my spring wreath for a new summer version.  I didn’t necessarily have to, but I thought the turquoise clashed a bit with the flowers in my bed.

When I wrote the original fullest and fluffiest wreath ever tutorial, I promised that it would be a cinch to change it out for the seasons.  Well, here’s my proof.  I went from the wreath on the left to the wreath on the right in about 15 minutes (including photo taking time).

Easy peasy!

If you’ve already made one of the best wreath’s ever, it’s easy to make it into a new work of art.  You should begin by taking the original off your door and removing all of the colored florals, the center ornament and the ribbon.  Leave all of the greenery and the filler as is.

Next, figure out what you want your center ornament to be.  If you are doing a letter, you can repaint it to have a new look.  I’ve been obsessing over garden gnomes this summer, so I knew I wanted one to use on a wreath.  I found one at Garden Ridge and drilled a hole through both sides of his hat so that I could run a piece of hemp twine in it.  I placed him on my wreath so I could work around him with my florals.

For the record, my 6 year old son has named him Werewolf Catherine.  I have no idea…

Back to the wreath.  I had a piece of moss from a tree that I wanted to add into the wreath, so I went ahead and placed it near the gnome’s feet.  I also tucked in some white filler flowers around the wreath.  As I always do, I cut the pieces off of stems of fake florals from Hobby Lobby and just shove them into the grapevine.  They hold just fine.

I decided to go red, white and yellow for this wreath, so I added back in some of the yellow florals I had taken out of the original wreath.  I added them all the way around.

 

I found some little red flowers in my stash and added them sparingly around.  I didn’t want to go overboard with the bright red since the gnome himself is in muted colors.

To attach Werewolf Catherine the gnome to the wreath, I pushed the twine through the grapevine underneath the hanger ribbon.  I tied it in a few knots and cut off the ends of the twine.

Per usual, once I hung the wreath on the door and stepped back to the street, I realized that there wasn’t enough “stuff” on it.  I added in some more red flowers on branchy things and bunched some yellow stems right at his feet.  I like to concentrate a color on the bottom right of the wreath for some reason.  I guess that’s just where my eye is drawn.

In just a few minutes, my front door got a complete makeover.  Now my little gnome friend is going to protect my front flower beds from weeds.  At least, that’s what I told him to do.  Let’s see if he holds up his end of the bargin.

Have you made an interchangeable wreath yet?  Do you believe me that it really is that easy?

Don’t miss my other related tutorials – How to Create the Fullest, Fluffiest Wreath Ever and How I Hang Wreaths on My Front Door

Joining my friends’ great linky parties :

Home Stories A2Z shabby creek cottage The Shabby Nest

How I Hang Wreaths on My Front Door

by Lindsay Ballard on June 7, 2012 1,948 Comments

I’ve been working on a new version of my fullest, fluffiest wreath ever to bring to you guys next week.  It’s been on my door for a few days now, and it has so much personality.  I can’t wait for you to meet him.  I mean, it.

While I was tszujing it on the front door, it occurred to me that although I have told you my method for hanging a wreath with a ribbon on a door, I’ve never actually shown you.  It’s really easy, so I snapped a quick picture.

I take a long length of ribbon, maybe a yard and a half, and I loop it around the wreath and through whatever center ornament I am using.  So, for this wreath, I wrapped it over the top of the wreath, through the B and then back up behind the wreath.

Then, I pull the two ends of the ribbon together so they meet at the top.  If I’m using regular ribbon, I just attach it to the top of my door  with a small finishing nail and then cut off any extra that may hang past the top of the door.  For something like this jute ribbon that has a really open weave, I fold about an inch or two under and then nail it on the top of my door.  The nailhead is flush with the top of my door, so it doesn’t interfere with the door opening and closing.  This is how I’ve been doing it for years, and I just pop that one nail in and out of a single hole – I don’t even use a hammer these days.

Generally, those wreath hangers you buy in stores are way too short.  They make the center of your wreath hang on the top 1/3 of your door, and it’s much prettier if the top of your wreath is hung more in the top of the second 1/3 region.  Sounds confusing, I know.  Just make sure that the center of your wreath is near or slightly above the center of your door.  I spend all of the Christmas season wanting to go around to the homes in my neighborhood and move their wreaths further down the door.  Maybe that can be my version of Pay It Forward this year.  🙂

How do you hang wreaths on your door?  Let me know if you have any questions!

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.


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